…the All-ness in the smallness
Transcendence and Immanence – these are kind of imposing words to describe the mystery of God. “Transcendence” means beyond all limits, beyond anything we can experience or imagine, beyond comprehension. You could conceivably meditate upon the transcendence of God for a lifetime and get nowhere because you’re trying to know the unknowable. Hmmm… but if you were trying to get somewhere to begin with, you’ve probably missed the point. On the other hand, to think of God as entirely unknowable is really kind of a drag, isn’t it?
That’s where Immanence come in. Immanence means to be all-pervading. The great mystery which is expressed in all the major religions is that God, Ultimate Reality, is present in every part of creation. It’s the “Source of the energy within every atom and the Life in every creature.”* And as such, this Ultimate Reality makes itself knowable, available to you in a leaf or a caterpillar or a John Deere tractor.
A lot of years ago I traveled with a friend to France. In the space of a few days we visited the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Versailles and Chartres Cathedral. By the time we got to Chartres I was on overload, and unable to take in the majesty of this extraordinary monument to the sacred. My friend Gregory, on the other hand, was in some kind of supernal, ecstatic trance. I left him to his reverie and headed out of the cathedral and sat on a stone wall nearby. I was a little jealous, to be honest. I wanted to experience the transcendence that Chartres embodies, but couldn’t get myself out of myself, if you know what I mean. I glanced down at a very simple wildflower near me, plucked it up and studied it. And I had a little epiphany while contemplating the perfection present in this very humble blossom. What I had been trying to experience through the magnificence of the cathedral was also present there, as immanent in those small yellow petals as in Chartres’ famous rose window! (See image)
The Prologue of the Gospel of John presents one of the three Creation stories in the Bible (Genesis has two) and does so with extraordinary eloquence and simplicity:
“In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.”
I interpret “Word” to mean the expression of God, Creation; the movement of the Mind of God which God sees and recognizes Himself/Herself in. God as the All-in-All, the Whole immanent in every part of creation. And that means able to be experienced by you and me. Or maybe we could say “by you in me” and “by me in you”. Because God is found in relationship as in me and the flower. We need to find it in the other in order to recognize that we are not separate, but part of the Whole. Pardon the irreverent thought that now betrays my twisted mind: I will not find God by gazing at my navel, but I might find it by gazing at yours!! Yeah, it was all getting a little too holy, anyway… And besides, the Holy is hiding in everything, including the seemingly profane, right?
And with that thought, I wish you an ecstatic, entrancing week ahead. Join us this Sunday evening as we contemplate the Ultimate Reality with chants and readings from several traditions.
Blessings,
Roger